Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense, 3rd person singular presenttense dragoons, present participle dragooning, past tense, past participle dragooned
1. countable noun
A dragoon was a soldier in old European armies. Dragoons usually fought on horseback.
2. verb
If someone dragoons you into doing something that you do not want to do, they persuade you to do it even though you try hard not to agree.
...the history professor who had dragooned me into taking the exam. [VERB noun + into]
He resented being dragooned into dance classes. [V n into -ing/n]
Synonyms: force, drive, compel, bully More Synonyms of dragoon
dragoon in British English
(drəˈɡuːn)
noun
1.
(originally) a mounted infantryman armed with a carbine
2. (sometimes capital)
a domestic fancy pigeon
3.
a.
a type of cavalryman
b.
(pl; cap when part of a name)
the Royal Dragoons
verb(transitive)
4.
to coerce; force
he was dragooned into admitting it
5.
to persecute by military force
Derived forms
dragoonage (draˈgoonage)
noun
Word origin
C17: from French dragon (special use of dragon), soldier armed with a carbine, perhaps suggesting that a carbine, like a dragon,breathed forth fire
dragoon in American English
(drəˈgun)
noun
1. Obsolete
a.
a mounted soldier armed with a short musket (called a dragon), capable of fighting on horseback or on foot
b.
a heavily armed cavalryman
2.
a member of a Canadian armored cavalry regiment
verb transitive
3. Obsolete
to harass or persecute by dragoons
4.
to force (someone) into doing something; coerce
Word origin
Fr dragon (see dragon): ? so called from their fire-breathing weapons
Synonyms of 'dragoon'
force, drive, compel, bully
More Synonyms of dragoon
(verb)
Definition
to coerce or force
He had been dragooned into the excursion.
Synonyms
force
They forced him to work round-the-clock.
drive
Curiosity drove me to probe into what they worked on together.
compel
the introduction of legislation to compel cyclists to wear a helmet
bully
She used to bully me into doing my schoolwork.
intimidate
Attempts to intimidate people into voting for them failed.
railroad (informal)
constrain
Individuals will be constrained to make many sacrifices for the greater good.
coerce
He argued that the government had coerced him into resigning.
impel
I felt impelled to go on speaking.
strong-arm (informal)
browbeat
attempts to deceive, con, or browbeat the voters
Additional synonyms
in the sense of browbeat
Definition
to frighten (someone) with threats
attempts to deceive, con, or browbeat the voters
Synonyms
bully,
threaten,
cow,
intimidate,
badger,
oppress,
hector,
coerce,
bulldoze (informal),
overawe,
dragoon,
ride roughshod over,
tyrannize,
overbear,
domineer
in the sense of bully
She used to bully me into doing my schoolwork.
Synonyms
force,
coerce,
railroad (informal),
bulldoze (informal),
dragoon,
pressurize,
browbeat,
cow,
hector,
press-gang,
domineer,
bullyrag
in the sense of coerce
Definition
to compel or force
He argued that the government had coerced him into resigning.